Kiddies
by ravenbabe321
Summary: Just a few short one shots I wrote about Dacey as kids. The other one is in here a little, but she's not important.
1. First Meeting

**Author's Note: Hello everyone. These are just a few one shots I wrote forever ago about Dacey as kids. You can tell it was a long time ago because they're really short and I wrote them before I started to hate Jo. I originally posted these on Tumblr, but somebody asked me to post them here so that they could read them. They're really cutesy, and they gave me all kinds of feels to go back and read them. They're fluffy as heck, and prove that I can write more than just some superficial smut. :D**

**I hope you all enjoy these cute little tidbits. Reviews are hugs!**

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><p><span><strong>First Meeting<strong>

Danny Desai was hanging upside down on the monkey bars when he saw her. She was playing hopscotch, her two ponytails bounced as she jumped along the blocks. Time seemed to stand still for Danny. He figured he had been hanging upside down too long, so he hopped down. His eyes were still focused on the girl when Jo ran up to him. He continued to stare at the mystery girl playing hopscotch.

"You're it!", she said while poking him in the arm and running away.

That seemed to pull Danny from his trance of staring at the girl. _Who is she? Where did she come from?_ He didn't exactly know all of the kids in Green Grove Elementary, but he's positive he has never seen this girl before.

When he finally catches up to Jo, he points in her direction and asks, "Jo, who's that?" Jo looks in the direction of his finger and sees the girl he's pointing to.

"I don't know. She must be new here." She answers.

Danny wanted to talk to her. Find out her name and where she came from. He needed Jo to help him though. "Maybe we should go and talk to her. She's playing by herself." Danny suggests as he stares across the playground.

"OK." Jo says in her usual monotone.

Danny and Jo slowly run over to the girl. She stops hopping once they've approached her. She doesn't know any of the kids here and isn't sure what they want. She starts to smile when she notices that they're smiling at her. Danny sees the dimple in her cheek and wants to reach out and touch it.

_What's wrong with me?_ Danny asks himself. _She's just a girl! _

"Hi." Danny says and waits for a response.

"Hi." Lacey says as she stares at the blonde haired girl and dark-haired boy.

"I'm Jo. This is Danny." Jo says as she introduces herself and her best friend.

"I'm Lacey." She says and looks back and forth between the girl and the boy.

"Did you just move here?" Jo asks since Danny isn't really talking that much.

"Yes. We just moved here from Pennsylvania. My dad got a new job. I miss my friends." She says a little sadly. Lacey didn't mean to confess that, but she feels safe with them for some reason.

"Well, you can be our friend." Danny finally pipes up.

"OK." Lacey says as she hunches her shoulders and smiles.

_There's that dimple again_, Danny is thinking as he swallows hard.

"We have a secret fort." Danny confesses.

"Really? That's so cool." Lacey states and smiles again.

"You can come there with us after school." Danny offers just to have something to say.

"I have to ask my mom first. But she'll probably say yes because she wants me to make friends." Lacey confesses and smiles. She's full of smiles since she just made two new friends.

"But you have to promise not to tell anyone about the fort. Pinky swear?" Jo reaches up with her pinky extended.

"Yes." Lacey says as she locks fingers with Jo.

Then Danny does the same. "Pinky swear." Danny says. Lacey immediately feels a jolt when his finger touches hers. She stops breathing for a second. Danny felt the same jolt. They lock eyes as an understanding that they both felt it, but they didn't know what it was.


	2. Feeling Weird

**Feeling Weird **

Lacey's first month at Green Grove Elementary went fairly well. Although some kids ignored her, meeting Danny and Jo made up for it. The 3 had become instant friends. They told her she could put whatever she wanted in the fort, but she had to keep it a secret. Playing at Danny's house was the best because he had a swing set. And his backyard was big enough to camp in. They had planned to camp out that past weekend, but it rained. It was fun having new friends even though one of them was a boy. She had never had a best friend that was a boy before.

But Danny was kind of different from the other boys at school. The other boys were mean. They said girls had cooties. He once pushed Brandon Hines on the ground for pulling her hair and calling her 'Cootie Queen'. Brandon just called Danny a weirdo and ran away.

Danny and Lacey were walking home from school together one day. Jo wasn't there because she was sick and missed school. Lacey noticed that things felt funny. She thought that maybe it was because it was just her and Danny, instead of the three of them.

Danny was giving her that weird look again.

"What?" Lacey asks and makes a face.

"What, what?" Danny replies, repeating what she said just to annoy her.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Lacey questions while making a face again.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Danny replies, again repeating what she said just to annoy her. He couldn't help himself.

"You are such a weirdo." Lacey scoffs and walks away.

"Lacey wait!" Danny runs behind her to catch her, but Lacey isn't having it."Lacey! Please wait. I'm sorry." Danny apologizes once he grabs her arm.

"OK, numbnuts." Lacey says and smiles.

"Wanna meet at the fort later?" Danny asks as they start to walk.

"But Jo can't come." Lacey says once she slows her walking.

"So?" Danny asks as he hunches his shoulders.

"Is that allowed? It's your fort." Lacey wonders as she looks at him.

"Well, it's yours now too. We pinky swore." Danny says and gives her that smirk that appears on his face a lot lately.

"Ok, I'll meet you there after I finish my homework." Lacey says as they make their way toward their homes.

"Ok." Danny says and smiles while escorting his new best friend home.

Several hours have passed and Danny is now at the fort, waiting for Lacey. He brought marshmallows from home so they could toast them. He knew they were Lacey's favorite. He loved seeing her smile because he could see her dimple. He didn't know why, but he loved her dimple. He started to feel weird about seeing her dimple and being around her. He even told his dad about his weird feelings about Lacey.

"Dad, I feel funny sometimes." Danny says to his father one day while they were watching a soccer game.

"Funny? How?" Vikram asks as he takes his eyes off the screen.

"Well, I get these weird feelings around Lacey." Danny confesses and feels a little embarrassed.

"Weird how?" Vikram wonders

"Well the other day, Jo and I were playing alone because Lacey couldn't come yet. When she got here, my stomach felt weird." Danny replies as he looks at his father. Vikram had to keep himself from laughing at his son. He didn't want to make him feel bad, so he just let Danny continue. "I don't feel like that around Jo. Brandon Hines said Lacey was the 'Cootie Queen.' Maybe she is dad. She makes me feel weird." Danny states and hopes his father can really help him with his feeling weird problems.

Vikram did laugh this time. "Danny, Lacey doesn't have cooties. You feeling weird around her is normal for a boy your age." He says as he stops laughing to talk to his son.

"But I don't feel weird around Jo. Jo feels like my sister, even though she's not." Danny admits as he looks at his father again.

Vikram pats Danny on the head and tell him, "It will all make sense in a few years, son. Don't worry." He says and takes a sip of his beer and returns his attention back to the soccer game on tv.

Later on, Danny is lost in thought when Lacey arrives at the fort. _She smells like flowers_, Danny thinks.

"Hey, Lace." Danny says as Lacey approaches him.

"My name is Lacey, numbnuts." She retorts.

"I know, but I like calling you Lace. You call me numbnuts." Danny says as he stares at her.

"I like calling you numbnuts." Lacey counters and shrugs.

"So we're even." Danny states with finality.

Lacey giggles and sits down next to Danny. They sit in silence until Lacey can't stand the silence anymore."Why are you so quiet, Danny?" She asks as she looks over at him.

"I don't know. Just thinking." He replies while playing with the twig he found on the way there.

"About what?" Lacey wonders.

"About living in this fort forever. I hate my house sometimes." Danny confesses truthfully.

"Why?" She asks and stares at him, waiting for an answer.

"My mom, dad and Aunt Tara are always fighting. They yell too much." He states quietly.

"My mom and dad fight too." Lacey states honestly.

"They do?" Danny asks in wonderment.

"I heard my mom tell my dad she moved here because of his job, and he's never home. She said she hates it here." Lacey replies sadly. "Sometimes, I try to turn my tv up loud or play with my sister so that I don't have to hear them fight."

"Do you?" Danny asks.

"Do I what?" Lacey asks quizzically.

"Hate it here too?" He asks and hopes she says no.

"Sometimes." Lacey replies and Danny looks painfully disappointed.

"Well, I'm glad you're here." He admits truthfully.

"Thanks, numbnuts." Lacey pokes him with a stick. "I'm hungry."

"I almost forgot! I brought marshmallows." He says as he stands to get them from his backpack.

"Yes! They're my favorite!" Lacey exclaims in excitement as she claps her hands.

"I know." Danny says as he smirks at her.

Danny starts the fire pit to toast the marshmallows. He's feeling weird again. While snacking on her marshmallows, Lacey says between bites, "You're doing it again numbnuts."

"Doing what?" Danny wonders as he looks at her.

"Making me feel weird." Lacey says as she eats the last of her marshmallow.


	3. First Kiss

**First Kiss**

It was the day before Valentine's Day. Lacey was busy organizing the cards she was gonna hand out to her friends. She had special ones for Danny and Jo since they were her best friends. She knew Jo would love the Hello Kitty card she got her, and the Transformers one she got for Danny since he loved robots and cars. He thought Optimus Prime was the coolest. Lacey loved the Disney princesses. Princess Jasmine was her favorite. When Lacey arrived to school the next day wearing red and white, all eyes were on her. A certain pair of eyes looked at her more longingly than the rest. Those eyes belonged to Danny Desai.

Lacey was so happy because it was her favorite holiday, after Christmas of course. Probably because red was her favorite color. "Happy Valentine's Day!", Lacey exclaimed to everybody she saw. Her excitement and jovial expression was contagious. Lacey handed out all of her cards first thing that morning at Green Grove Elementary. She received many in return. Lacey and Jo had exchanged theirs that morning on their way to school. She gave Danny his in the hallway. Danny actually started blushing. Lacey even gave him a kiss on the cheek.

That was the beginning of Danny's trying day at school. He could barely focus. All he thought about was that kiss. He didn't even hear Mrs. Frazier call his name at first. And when he did, he just yelled out, "Here!" The entire class laughed at him.

"I know you're here Danny. I already took attendance. I asked you what was the answer to number 7." Mrs. Frazier says.

Danny became red from how embarrassed he was. "15?" Danny says timidly. He hadn't even heard her question, but guessed the answer anyway. The whole class laughed at again.

"No, Danny. The capital of Nebraska is not 15." Mrs. Frazier says to a chorus of laughter.

"Sorry." Danny apologizes, still red from embarrassment.

Danny decided that he should stop thinking about Lacey and that kiss before he got detention and have the whole class continuing to laugh at him.

Lacey, Jo and Danny were walking home from school. Danny was still lost in thought. He kept staring at Lacey's lips, remembering how soft they felt on his cheek. He was sneaking glances at her while they walked down the street. Lacey and Jo were deep in discussion, talking about all the Valentine's they collected.

"Earth to Danny!" Lacey says as they're strolling along.

"Yeah?" He asks, his mind riddled with confusion.

"What is with you today? You've been acting strange." Jo states as she looks at him like he's grown three heads.

"No I haven't." Danny lies and tries to avoid eye contact with Lacey.

"Yes, you have. It was so funny Lacey. He said the capital of Nebraska was 15!" Jo says and she and Lacey are both laughing.

Lacey says, "Way to go, numbnuts." She continues to laugh with Jo.

"It's all your fault anyway!" Danny yells, and walks away.

Jo and Lacey look at each other in shock.

"What was that all about?" Jo asks in wonderment.

"I don't know. Maybe he has cooties!" Lacey says. They both laugh and continue to walk home.

Lacey is in her room doing her homework when she hears Danny climbing the tree outside her window. She's surprised it's him from the way he acted earlier. He climbs into her room and looks at her awkwardly. While looking at the floor, he mumbles. "Sorry."

"It's okay numbnuts. But what were you mad at me for?" She asks, voice full of worry.

"I can't tell you." Danny says as he fidgets nervously.

"You can tell me anything. You're my best friend." Lacey says and smiles to ease his fears.

"You kissed me." Danny says after a moment.

"That's what you were mad about?" Lacey asks quizzically.

"You made me think weird things." Danny sort of mumbles.

"Weird things like what?" She asks. She doesn't understand what's wrong with Danny.

"I can't tell you that Lace. You might not wanna be my friend anymore." Danny states nervously.

"That's silly!" Lacey exclaims.

"No it's not." Danny replies quietly.

"I told you that you can tell me anything. You're my best friend, Danny." Lacey says to calm him down somehow.

Danny fidgets nervously again and starts playing with his hands. Lacey is wondering what his problem is. It's not like Danny to be acting THIS weird. _What is wrong with him?_ She thinks.

"I liked it when you kissed me. I kept thinking of how soft your lips felt." Danny says once he finally stops staring at the floor and looks at her.

Lacey is suddenly uncomfortable. _Why is he thinking about my lips?_

"Danny, I kiss my Grandma on the cheek. It's no big deal. It's not like I kissed you like they do on tv." Lacey says to make him feel better and to get him to stop thinking about her lips.

"What if I kissed you how they do on tv?" Danny asks after he thinks of how to ask her.

"On the lips? Gross!" Lacey practically yells.

"It's not gross. Kissing a dog on the lips is gross." Danny says surely.

"Ewwww! That is gross!" She says. Lacey and Danny both laugh.

"So can I?" He asks and stares at her in the eyes.

Lacey thinks for a moment. "Only on the cheek." She says once she has had time to really think about it.

Danny seems to come alive. "Ok." He says and gives her that smirk of his. Danny walks over to Lacey and kisses her on her cheek. Then he quickly kisses her on the lips, and darts to the window to leave.

Lacey realized that kissing Danny on the lips wasn't gross at all.


	4. Holding Hands

**Author's Note: Hello everyone. I know I said this story was complete, but I had some loyal fans, readers, and friends ask for more Dacey kiddie one shots. So here goes. Jo's ass is in here because unfortunately, she was Danny and Lacey's "friend" in the beginning. In a perfect world, the other childhood friend would've been Regina, Rico, or Phoebe, and not Jo. In my perfect world, she doesn't exist or she was the one that was killed instead of Regina. Y'all know I can't stand her and I'll try not to drag that little bitch too much. I do intend to show her just how I see her when she appears in these. I'm not even sorry. **

**Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy these. Reviews are hugs!**

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><p><span><strong>Holding Hands<strong>

Green Grove Elementary was in the midst of going on a field trip. They were going to the aquarium and all the kids were excited. Some were excited to see the dolphins, sea turtles, and fish, among many other animals there. And some were just excited to get a day off from school. Lacey was especially excited to go. She loved going to the aquarium. She loved going to the zoo too because she just loved animals. Jo was too because she liked sharks. Danny was in the group that was happy just to get out of school for a day. Lacey and Danny were both thinking about who they would sit with on the bus. Who would sit with Jo? Could they sit together and have Jo sit with someone else? Or would Danny sit with a boy in their class? Would Lacey sit with a girl in her class? Danny and Jo were in Mrs. Frazier's class and Lacey was in Mrs. Bowers class. They knew that they buses would join since they were all the same grade. The seating arrangements really seemed to plague Lacey and Danny. They decided to discuss it and come up with a plan on their way home from school the day before the trip.

Lacey carefully brought it up. She didn't want to make Jo feel weird or like a third wheel. But she wanted to sit with Danny. She felt confused. She felt weird. She was having a lot of weird feelings about Danny lately. She had weird feelings about Danny since she moved there and met him and Jo. Their private times in the fort. And the kiss. The kiss that Danny snuck and took. She told him to only kiss her on the cheek and he kissed her on the lips too. She felt weird for not thinking that the kiss was gross. She also wanted to tell Jo about it. She knew she couldn't though. She knew things would get weirder between them.

Danny wanted to kiss Lacey again. It was all he thought about. Every day, all day. He wondered if Lacey thought about it too. He wanted to tell Jo that he kissed Lacey. He wanted to talk to his father about it but thought he'd get in trouble for kissing a girl. He knew he wasn't even supposed to kiss Lacey on the lips, but he had the urge and couldn't help himself. He kept thinking about her kissing him on the cheek and he just had to kiss her on the lips. He liked her lips. Her lips were pretty to him. He noticed how different her lips were from Jo's and other girls. He wondered why that was. He started to think that Lacey was prettier than other girls. He thought Jo was cute the way girls thought puppies were cute, but he thought Lacey was pretty. He didn't know why he thought that. He had a lot of weird feelings that he didn't understand. He didn't understand why he wanted to sit with Lacey so badly and kiss her again.

"So, how are we going to choose who sits together on the bus?" Lacey asks.

"I don't know. I wish we could all sit together." Jo says.

Danny didn't want that. He wanted to sit with Lacey. Just the two of them. He thought of Jo like his sister but he wanted to sit next to Lacey. She was his new best friend that he kissed. On the lips. Was she still his best friend? Why did he feel so weird? "They won't let us all sit together, Jo. Only two people per seat. And that person has to be your buddy during the trip." Danny explains.

"Yeah. I almost forgot about that." Jo says.

"So how will we decide? One of us is going to be left out. We have to make it fair." Lacey says even though she really wants to sit with Danny.

"How about a race? The first two to the end of the block win." Danny says knowing he's a fast runner and will get there first. He hoped that Lacey beat Jo.

"That's not fair. You're on the soccer team so you are faster runners than us." Jo whines.

Danny let out his signature smirk. "I'll give you two a head start." He says.

"How much of a head start?" Lacey asks. She just hopes she beats Jo. She hated feeling that way about her best friend though. She felt weird and bad for hoping that Jo loses.

"I'll count to 5." Danny says.

"No, 10." Jo offers as a rebuttal.

"Ok. We'll start at the next corner." Danny suggests.

"Do we have to carry our backpacks? That might slow us down." Lacey states while secretly thinking of ways to win.

"No, we don't have to. We can take them off." Danny says, getting extremely eager to start this race.

"Ok." Lacey says and smiles, revealing her dimple. Danny wanted to touch it. He always wanted to reach out and touch her dimple. They continue walking in silence until they get to the next street. They all stop at the corner and take their backpacks off and place them on the ground. Lacey looked down to make sure her shoes were tied. She didn't want to fall. "Are you guys ready?" Lacey wonders expectantly.

"Yes." Jo says.

"Ready. On your mark, get set, go!" Danny says as the girls take off and he counts to 10 out loud. While he was counting, he was watching and hoping Lacey would beat Jo. They were neck and neck. Danny finished counting and started to run. He zoomed past them and that caused Lacey to pick up speed. She got to the end of the block a little after Danny did.

"Yes!" Lacey chanted. She and Danny high-fived each other. Jo looked painfully upset that she lost.

"No fair, I lost." Jo pouted.

"It was fair. You just lost." Lacey says happily.

Jo pouted some more. "I was supposed to win." She whines. Danny and Lacey really don't want to hear her pout and mope about losing. "Let's go again." She says. She hated losing.

"Why do we have to go again?" Lacey wonders.

"Because I lost and it wasn't fair that I lost." Jo says in her defense. She felt like they should go again because she lost. She was supposed to win.

"Jo, you lost fair and square. I even gave you a head start." Danny states matter of factly.

"Yeah, Jo. You lost. Stop pouting about it." Lacey says as she and Danny start to walk back to the beginning of the block to get their backpacks. Jo scoffed and folded her arms across her chest in defiance. She wasn't moving. She was supposed to win. Danny and Lacey arrived and picked up their backpacks and put them on. They couldn't believe that Jo wasn't right behind them. She was still standing there with her arms folded and seriously pouting.

"Are you coming to get your backpack?" Danny asks, not wanting to leave her backpack on the ground.

"No." Jo says with her arms still folded and pouting. She expected them to give her her way. It always worked on her mom and dad.

"Come on, Jo. Stop being such a baby about losing." Lacey says, starting to get frustrated with her friend. She was taking the fun out of it.

"Yeah." Danny says. "Lacey beat you. Get over it."

"I wanna go again. It's not fair that I lost." Jo says, sounding like the spoiled brat that she is.

Danny and Lacey just look at each other. Danny reached down to pick up her backpack and he and Lacey started walking towards her. Danny held out her backpack for her. "Here, Jo." He says.

She reluctantly took the bag from him, but she wasn't happy about it at all. She had to since she saw that they weren't going to give her a do over like she wanted. "You guys cheated so that I would lose." She says.

"We didn't cheat. We'll make sure you get a head start the next time." Danny says and smiles to make her feel better.

"Fine." Jo almost snaps as they start to walk home together again.

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><p>The next day was the day of the trip. The kids were excited that they didn't even have to bring their backpacks to school. They would be at the aquarium the whole day. Lacey was excited to see the animals and Jo was still upset about losing the race. Danny was happy to not be at school for the day. He really didn't care where they went on the trip. He was secretly excited about sitting with Lacey. He was really glad that she won the race. He felt bad for feeling that way because Jo was his best friend first. He felt like he was being a bad friend for wanting to do things with Lacey and just her. He wanted to do things with Jo too but it just felt weird to him. He wanted to tell Jo how he was feeling but didn't know how to. He hated keeping things from her.<p>

They were all milling about waiting for the buses to arrive so that they could leave. The yellow buses finally arrived and they were off. Mrs. Bowers class boarded the bus first and Lacey found a seat in the back of the bus. She knew Danny would want to sit far away from the teachers sitting in the front. Her classmates were giddy and jumping around and she was just waiting for Mrs. Frazier's class to board so she could sit with Danny. The were getting on when Jo came and sat beside her. "Hey, Lacey." Jo says and smiles.

"Hey, Jo." Lacey says and smiles back.

"I'm stealing Danny's seat." Jo says and smiles some more.

Lacey got a little upset about that. Jo was her best friend, but she wanted to sit with Danny. Jo wasn't playing fair at all. "You can't just steal his seat, Jo." She says to make her friend stop being so selfish.

Jo started to laugh. "Yes, I can. He'll get over it." She says thinking that she's supposed to have her way.

Danny walks up while Jo is still laughing. "Get outta my seat, Jo." Danny says calmly.

"Nope." She says and laughs some more.

"Get outta my seat, Jo. You lost the race." Danny says to Jo again.

"It wasn't fair that I lost. You cheated, so now I'm stealing your seat. You can sit with Howie. Me and Lacey want to girl talk." Jo states in a triumphant manner. She just knows Danny will just let her have her way and go sit with Howie who was in the seat in front of her and Lacey.

"Get outta my seat, Jo. You aren't playing fair." Danny murmurs, minus the pleasantries he usually used when talking to his best friend.

Jo finally looked at Danny and saw that he was upset. "Why do you want to sit with Lacey so bad?" She wonders while staring at Danny. He seems to be looking past her and staring at Lacey who has her eyes glued to him.

Danny smiled to lighten the load a bit. "Because we had a fair race and you lost. We made a deal. You have to stick to that. That's what friends do."

Jo huffed and just got out of Danny's seat and went to sit with Howie like she suggested that he do. She was unhappy that Danny made her get out of his seat and sit somewhere else. She was starting to get mad at him and Lacey. If Lacey hadn't come along, she would be sitting with her best friend and not her. She was Danny's best friend first.

Danny sat down next to Lacey and smiled. She smiled back at him. "Hi, Lacey."

"Hi, Danny."

Danny waited until the bus pulled off to slide closer to Lacey in the seat. They sat in silence among all the noise from their peers on the bus around them. They slowly slid their hands closer together and were content just holding hands. Jo popped up in the seat in front of them as they tried to snatch their hands away from each other. She was laughing and stopped abruptly as she saw their hands break apart. "Why were you holding hands?" She wondered.

"We were just pinky swearing about something." Lacey lies.

"What?" Jo wondered again.

Danny sat forward and whispered in her ear. "About sneaking frogs into Mrs. Bowers desk for giving Lacey a bad grade on her book report." Danny says, knowing that Jo won't want to help since she doesn't like frogs.

"Ew, frogs! Gross!" She says quietly and makes a face while laughing. She returned to her seat.

Danny and Lacey went back to holding hands.


	5. Second Kiss

**Second Kiss**

Green Grove had a snowstorm approaching. It was still February and the kids were excited. What kids didn't get excited about a snowstorm? They hoped they got enough snow to close school. Snow was the best part of winter. That is after Christmas. Christmas was the absolute best part of winter. Now they were all excited about the snowstorm that was coming. There was already snow on the ground from the snow that fell a few days ago, but now they were predicting over a foot of snow. Lacey hoped that it snowed enough that they could build a snow man. She loved doing that. Danny wanted to make snowballs. Jo hated that part because Danny would pelt them with snowballs. She felt like it wasn't fair that he hit them with so many snowballs.

The snow started falling while they were in school. It started distracting the kids because they started getting antsy. They were preoccupied with watching the snow fall than listening to their teachers. They were all silently praying that it would start snowing harder. Right now it was just a few snowflakes that wasn't even sticking to the ground. They were hoping for more. The teachers were sort of hoping for lots of snow as well. They could use a snow day or two. The school board expected them to report to school anyway, though lots of teachers ignored that rule. If it wasn't safe for the parents and bus drivers to travel in the snow, why would they think the teachers would be able to? It just didn't make sense. They stayed home just like the students did. Most of them had children of their own and stayed home with them.

The end of the school day approached and the snow started to pick up a little. The kids were excited and scrambling to get outside like it was the day before Christmas break or the last day of school. Danny was eager to walk outside with his two friends. He couldn't wait to hit Lacey and Jo with snowballs. He hoped it snowed more. He loved snow and always did. He was looking forward to playing in the snow with them and building a snowman. He hoped it snowed enough to go sledding. Nothing was better than that.

Danny, Lacey, and Jo were walking home from school together. Danny felt like starting a snowball fight. The snow was finally starting to stick, but he had to use the snow that was from the snowfall from days before. He reached down and quickly made a snowball. "Hey, Jo." Danny called.

Lacey and Jo were busy talking when she turned around and was hit with a snowball. Danny knew she hated being hit with snowballs, that's why he did it. Lacey loved it. Danny and Lacey seemed to have more in common that Danny and Jo did and Lacey and Jo. Danny and Lacey were more easy-going and always wanted to have fun. Jo was the opposite. Sometimes they had to force her to have fun. Danny and Lacey were always ready to play and have fun. It just seemed to work out that way. They were all best friends, but Jo was different from them. Danny and Lacey really felt like they were the two that had been friends longer because of how fast and easily they connected to each other. Everything that Lacey liked, Danny liked and vice versa. They sometimes had to change their plans because of Jo. Sometimes they wanted to watch a scary movie, but they had to change it because of Jo not wanting to see it and being too scared. Danny and Lacey were easy-going and fun to be around. That's why they liked being around each other so much. Even if being around each other made them feel weird.

"Stop it, Danny!" Jo whined as he hit her with the snowball.

"Stop what?" Danny asks as he reaches down to make another snowball. He sent it flying towards Jo.

"Stop that, Danny! You know I hate snowballs." Jo whines some more.

"Hit her with some more." Lacey says as she bends down and makes a snowball herself.

"Good idea, Lacey." Danny says and he makes a snowball. He gave Lacey a look to say they were going to hit her with the snowball together.

"You guys quit it! Stop ganging up on me!" She yelled, playing the victim role.

"Alright, Danny. Leave her alone." Lacey says, tired of hearing Jo whine. She still wanted to hit her with a snowball. Maybe even more so.

Danny gave her another look. Lacey smiled, knowing he was thinking the same thing. "Ok, Jo. We won't hit you with anymore snowballs." He lies.

"After this." Lacey says and she and Danny hurl their snowballs toward Jo who screams and turns red.

"I hate you two." She says and storms off to go home.

"Jo, wait!" Danny calls after her.

"No! I'm going home." She says and continues to walk home leaving Danny and Lacey on the sidewalk.

Danny and Lacey just looked at each other and shrugged. "Wanna come over my house? I can make you some hot chocolate before the snow gets too bad." Lacey suggests.

Danny's face lights up. Maybe he can get another kiss. "Will you put marshmallows in it?" He wonders.

"I'll put one marshmallow in there for you." She says and lightly pushed him.

"Just one? I always share my Blue Ranch potato chips with you." He says to make her feel guilty.

"Ok, I'll give you two. You can have Jo's share." Lacey jokes as they continue to walk home. "Do you think she's really mad at us?"

"No. She's just being a baby some more. Remember how she acted last week when she lost the race? Then she acted like a baby when I made her get out of my seat. Jo is used to having her way all the time." Danny explains.

"I know. She doesn't have a sister and has to share like I have to." Lacey says as they head towards her house. She was glad they were going to hers so that she wouldn't have to leave again. Danny could walk himself home since he's a boy.

"I don't have a sister. I pretend Jo is my sister though. She feels like my sister even though she's my best friend." Danny says.

"What about me?" Lacey wonders.

"What about you?" Danny asks as he looks over at her. He's confused by her question.

"Do you pretend I'm your sister too?" Lacey asks.

"No!" Danny says though it sounds like he's yelling.

"Why did you say it like that?" She questions. Her feelings are a little hurt at him saying no like that.

"Because." Danny says and leaves it at that.

"Because, what?"

Danny hesitates for a moment. He was starting to get that weird feeling again. Especially because of what he was thinking and about to say. "Because I kissed you." He says in a low tone.

"Oh." Is all Lacey says.

"I can't pretend you're my sister if I want to kiss you. That's gross." Danny says.

"Oh." Lacey says again. She stops walking abruptly. "You want to kiss me?" She asks Danny.

Danny stopped walking too and looked at her. He audibly swallowed. He thought Lacey looked pretty with the snow falling around her. He smirked nervously. "Yeah. I always want to kiss you." He admits.

"Always? Why do you always want to kiss me?" Lacey asks.

"Yes, always. I just keep thinking about that time we kissed in your room." Danny confesses.

Lacey starts walking again and Danny follows. "You mean when you kissed me on the lips and I said to only kiss me on the cheek?" She wonders quietly though she knows that Danny heard her.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen and kissed you on the lips. I couldn't help it." Danny admits truthfully.

"How much do you think about it?" She asks, wondering if he thinks about it as much as she does.

Danny's heart started beating fast and he started feeling weird again. He didn't understand why he always felt weird around Lacey. Especially when it was just the two of them. He was always getting weird thoughts and weird feelings in his stomach when he was around her or thought about her. He felt like he was sweating and getting hot even though it was cold outside and it was snowing. He felt like he does when he has to go up to the chalkboard at school. It was just him and Lacey so why did he feel nervous and embarrassed? Lacey was his other best friend. He didn't feel that way about Jo. Maybe he would if he kissed Jo too. But then he really thought that kissing Jo would be gross. Kind of like if he kissed Clara. Or really did kiss a dog on the lips. Or kissed a boy. He didn't want to kiss Jo. He really wanted to ask his father about it but really thought he would get in trouble if he told his dad that he kissed Lacey on the lips when she told him to only kiss her on the cheek. He thought his father would get mad if he told him he wanted to kiss Lacey how he saw him kiss his mother. Why did he want to kiss Lacey like his father kissed his mother? He wasn't married to Lacey like his father was married to his mother. Lacey was his friend and he wanted to kiss her. Jo was his friend and he didn't want to kiss her. He wanted to talk about these things with someone. But now he could talk with Lacey about it since he kissed her. Maybe she was as confused as he was. "Um...I think about it all day. Every day." Danny admitted and actually felt better admitting it to her. "Do you think about it too?" He questions.

"Yes. Sometimes." Lacey says. They continue walking to her house in silence. She was happy that they were there because she was feeling weird again. Danny was always making her feel weird. She didn't understand why her friend made her feel weird. Maybe it was because she had never had a boy as her best friend before. Maybe it was because she had never kissed a boy before. She never thought about kissing a boy before. She only kissed Danny on his cheek for Valentine's day and that was the first time she kissed a boy on the cheek. She kissed her father on the cheek, but that's different. Then Danny kissed her on the cheek and then he kissed her on the lips. She thought it would be gross at first, but it wasn't. She thought about Danny kissing her all the time. She lied and told him that she just thought about it sometimes. That wasn't true. She thought about it all day, every day as well. She felt weird for thinking about kissing her best friend all the time. Did they have to stop being best friends? She didn't understand it. She wished she could talk to Jo, but she knew Jo wouldn't know because she had never kissed a boy before. She thought Jo might think she and Danny were being sneaky behind her back. Jo liked knowing everything. She didn't know that Danny kissed her. Maybe Jo would get upset because he kissed her. Maybe Jo wanted Danny to kiss her. Jo would probably make a fuss over Danny and try to take him away as just her friend because she was friends with Danny first. Lacey didn't want to lose her two best friend because she kissed Danny and wanted to kiss him again when Jo wasn't around.

Danny wanted to ask Lacey if he could kiss her again. He really wanted to kiss her again. He felt like he would wait until they got to her house. He was glad that Jo wasn't with them. He felt bad for thinking that when Jo was his friend. He just felt himself wanting to do things with just Lacey. He didn't think he could kiss Lacey with Jo around. He wondered how Jo would feel if she knew that they kissed. She would probably feel bad or left out. She would probably think that Lacey was trying to steal Danny away and only be her friend. He just wanted them to all be friends and get along with Jo as his sister and best friend and Lacey as his kissing friend and best friend. He didn't understand why it couldn't be that way. Kind of like his mom, dad, and Aunt Tara. But they fought all the time. He wondered if that was why they fought. He wouldn't want to fight with Jo and Lacey that way. He didn't know what to do.

They finally arrived at Lacey's house and they walked up the walkway to the front door. Lacey knew her mom was home with her little sister Clara. Clara was about to turn 4 years old and would start at Green Grove Elementary in the fall. Lacey knew she would have to walk her to school and she couldn't wait for that. She loved her little sister to pieces. "Mom, I'm home!" Lacey calls as she and Danny take their coats and boots off since it's snowing. They walk to the kitchen and Lacey goes to put the water in the tea kettle. She needed her mom to put it on the stove for her since she wasn't allowed to touch the stove. Danny sat at the kitchen table and Lacey got the hot chocolate and marshmallows. Then she went to find her mother. She was upstairs in her bedroom in her and her father's closet. "Hey, Mom. Can you put the tea kettle on for me and Danny? We want hot chocolate." Lacey says.

"Hi, sweetheart. Sure. How was school?" Judy asks.

"Great. It's snowing." Lacey says as she follows her mother downstairs.

"I know. Clara and I looked out the window for a bit before she went to sleep. Hi, Danny." Judy says.

"Hi, Mrs. Porter." Danny says and smiles awkwardly.

Judy just turned the stove on and waited until it started screaming. She added water to the mugs without a word and just smiled at the kids. She left them alone to enjoy their hot chocolate. Lacey put a ton of marshmallows in hers and gave Danny one just like she said she would. "There." She says and smiles before she takes a sip from her steaming mug.

"One marshmallow?" Danny asks.

"Oh, I forgot. You get Jo's share." She says and puts another one in.

Danny just grabs a handful and puts some in his mouth and his mug. "That's better." He says with a mouth full of marshmallows.

"Hey! I gave you two." Lacey says.

"Two wasn't enough." Danny replies. He starts to drink his hot chocolate.

Lacey starts to drink her hot chocolate as well. She waited until they both put their mugs down and leaned over and gave Danny a quick peck on the lips. Danny was glad that Lacey gave him a kiss this time. She smiled at him and drank more of her hot chocolate. He drank more of his too. When they were both finished, Danny leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"You can't keep kissing me, Danny." Lacey says surely.

"You kissed me too." Danny adds and looks at her.

"I know." Lacey says and smiles, revealing her dimple.

Danny started to feel really weird. He was starting to think about her lips, touching her dimple, and kissing her again. He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers again, but he didn't pull away quickly this time. Lacey pulled away first. "Why'd you stop?" He wondered.

"Because I was feeling weird." Lacey says.

"Me too." Danny says. They sit quietly for a moment until Lacey speaks again.

"Ok, we can kiss one more time and then we can't kiss anymore." Lacey says.

"Ok." Danny says before he presses his lips to Lacey's. This was the longest kiss they had this time.

Danny felt bad knowing he didn't mean it when he said ok to them not kissing anymore. He intends to kiss Lacey again as soon as he gets the chance.


	6. Stealing Marshmallows

**Stealing Marshmallows**

Lacey was really feeling weird from all the kisses she kept sharing with Danny. That's why she told him they couldn't kiss anymore. She had to break that first long kiss because she was feeling weird. She didn't know what that meant. She really didn't know what feeling weird meant. Sometimes her heart would beat really fast around Danny and make her feel weird. Then her tummy would feel like she had things moving around in there. Sometimes she would feel like she touched the electrical socket when she touched Danny or he touched her. That made her feel really weird. Sometimes she would feel like she was running fast when she was just standing still around him. She needed someone to explain to her why she felt so weird around Danny.

Danny was really feeling weird around her too. He always had. He talked to his father about it, but he didn't really tell him anything. He told him that it would all make sense in a few years and that it was normal for a boy his age to feel that way. That still didn't mean anything to Danny and had him confused. He really didn't know what his father meant and he needed to know. He needed to know why he felt so weird around Lacey. He didn't feel weird around any other girls. Not the girls at school and not Jo. He only felt weird around her. He didn't understand that. He didn't understand Lacey kissing him and then telling him they couldn't do it anymore.

Lacey went back to drinking her hot chocolate. Danny still felt bad about lying about kissing her again. He didn't want to stop kissing Lacey. He liked kissing her and hoped that she liked kissing him too. Maybe she didn't. Maybe she really did think that kissing him was gross. He didn't think it was but maybe she did. He needed to ask her. "Lacey. Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did, numbnuts." Lacey says and smiles.

"Well can I ask you two questions?" He asks this time.

"Yes." She answers and puts her mug down.

"Why did you say we can't kiss anymore?" He asks and really hopes she has a good answer.

"Because we're friends and I feel weird kissing you." Lacey answers and looks at him.

"Weird how?" He asks. He feels weird too and hopes that she feels the same way.

"I don't know." She replies and really doesn't. "I feel like I was running really fast and then stopped even though I'm not and my tummy feels weird too."

"Do you think kissing me is gross?" Danny asks and seriously hopes she doesn't say that she thinks it is.

Lacey chewed on the inside of her mouth to think for a minute. "No, I don't think it's gross. It just makes me feel weird." She replies and looks at him. She's starting to feel weird again and looks away.

"Why do you think we feel weird?" He asks hoping she has an answer because he doesn't.

"I don't know. Maybe we should ask Jo. Do you think she knows?" Lacey wonders.

"No. I don't think we should ask Jo. I asked my dad why and he said it was normal for a boy my age and it would all make sense in a few years." Danny retorts and then wonders why Lacey looks the way she does.

Lacey's eyes grew wide with fear and surprise. She stared at Danny a minute before speaking. "You told your dad that we kissed?" She asks in awe.

"No! I didn't tell him that. I asked him why I felt weird around you and not Jo." Danny explains.

"You don't feel weird around her?" Lacey asks as she takes a marshmallow from the bag. She was really starting to feel weird again. She kind of wanted Danny to go home and for him to stay at her house with her.

"No. Jo is like my sister, even though she isn't. She's still my best friend but so are you. You don't feel like my sister. I sometimes feel like we're like my dad, my mom, and my Aunt Tara. Only we don't fight like my dad and Aunt Tara do. And we kiss like my mom and dad kiss." Danny says and reaches to grab the bag of marshmallows from Lacey and digs in and takes some.

"Hey! You're hogging all the marshmallows!" She yells and tries to take the bag from him.

Danny held the bag up high and away from him and Lacey. "No no no no no. You can't have anymore." He says as he continues to keep the bag away from her.

"You can't hog all the marshmallows. They're my favorite." She says and tries to take the bag again.

This time Danny got up and started to run around the kitchen with the bag of marshmallows with Lacey running behind him. Danny was a really fast runner because he played soccer so it was hard for her to catch him. They both start laughing as they're running around the kitchen. Danny then slips as he tries to turn the corner around the island and falls. "Ow." He says when he lands.

Lacey ran up to him and checked to see if he was alright. "Are you ok, Danny?" She asks in concern.

"Yeah." He says as she sits up.

"Good." Lacey says and then grabbed the bag of marshmallows from him. "That's what you get for trying to steal the marshmallows from me." She sticks her tongue out at him and reaches in to grab some. She giggled as she starts to eat her marshmallows.

Danny just sat there and watched her for a moment. He saw her dimple appear and disappear as she chewed. He was starting to feel weird again. "Do you want to watch the snow from the window?" He asks expectantly. He had the sudden urge to just watch the snow falling with Lacey.

"Yes. I love watching the snow fall. We can go in the living room and watch from the window seat. We have to clean up first though, numbnuts." Lacey says playfully.

Danny just got up off the floor and walked over to get the trash from the hot chocolate packs and threw it in the trash while Lacey put the mugs and spoons in the dishwasher. She wiped off the counter and put away the marshmallows. Danny was getting eager to just watch the snow fall. "Ready to watch the snow?" He asks in a cheerful tone.

"Yes. Let's go." Lacey says and leads Danny to the window seat in the room. They got on their knees and Lacey pulled back the curtains and they peeked out the window. It was snowing a little harder than it was when they first came home from school. "Wow, Danny. It looks really pretty now. It's snowing harder."

"Yeah, it is. Do you think they'll close school tomorrow?" Danny wonders and really wishes that they will.

"I don't know. Maybe. It has to snow some more. There's not much on the ground now." Lacey replies.

"If they do close school tomorrow, what are you going to do?" He asks.

"I don't know. Probably play with my little sister. What are you going to do?" She questions as she takes her eyes off the snow for a moment and looks over at him.

"I don't know. I want to go ride the sled down the hill in McNally park. Want to come?" He asks.

"Yes. I love riding on the sled down the hill. I really hope it snows a lot now. Come on. Let's wish that it snows a lot." Lacey says in an excited tone.

"Ok." Danny says. He then thinks of an idea. "We have to hold hands so that it works."

"Ok." She replies and grabs Danny's hand. She starts to feel weird again. She felt all warm and tingly inside. Danny kept making her feel weird and she needed to know why. She kind of liked how him making her feel weird felt. She kept thinking about that as she wished for more snow.

Danny really liked how it felt to hold Lacey's hand and wish for it to snow some more. He wanted it to snow a lot. He didn't want to go to school. He wants to go ride on the sled down the hill. He wanted to have fun with Lacey and build a snowman. He wanted to kiss her again. "Do you think it's working?" He inquires.

"I hope so. I really want to go ride the sled down the hill in the park. And then drink lots of hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows." She says and almost laughs at how excited she is.

"I really want to do that too. I really hope school is closed so we can ride all day." Danny says.

"I hope so too. But I think we need to do our homework just in case school is open. You want to do it here or wait until you get home?" Lacey asks as she turns to look at him. They're still holding hands and Lacey is glad that they are.

Danny thought about it for a minute. He wanted to stay and watch the snow fall with Lacey and hold her hand. But he could still be there with her if he did his homework there. "I'll do it here." He replies.

"Come on numbnuts. We can do it in the kitchen." She says and releases his hand and gets off the window seat. They both felt like they were missing something when they stopped holding hands.

Danny climbed off the window seat too. He just stood there awkwardly and stared at Lacey. He wanted to kiss her, but she said they couldn't kiss anymore. He really wanted to break that rule. He wished that she had never told him that they couldn't kiss anymore. He started thinking that he should have wished for that instead of for more snow. Danny was totally feeling weird again and needed to say something funny or to ask Lacey a question. Sometimes he just liked asking her a question just to hear her talk. "Why do you call me numbnuts?" He asks casually though he likes it when she calls him that. Nobody else does and he kind of likes it.

Lacey grinned and hunched her shoulders. "I don't know, but I like calling you numbnuts. You call me Lace. Nobody else calls me that, but you do." She explains.

"Do you like it when I call you Lace?" He wonders as he stares at her dimple again. He always wanted to reach out and touch it. He thought it made Lacey prettier. He doesn't ever remember seeing another person that had dimples until he met Lacey. Or maybe they did and he never noticed. He loved how it just appeared and went away sometimes. It was always showing when she talked, laughed, or smiled. He started thinking about her lips again and how he really liked kissing her.

Lacey thought about it for a minute. "I guess I do. Even though my name is Lacey and you call me something my curtains are made from."

"That's because your curtains are lacey. Lacey." Danny jokes and Lacey playfully punches him in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asks as he grabs his shoulder.

"Because you're making fun of my name." She says.

"I'm not! I think your name is pretty. Like you." He says to his defense.

Lacey gulped and then swallowed. She felt weird again. Danny just told her she was pretty. "You think I'm pretty?" She asks in a quiet tone.

"Yeah. I think you're the prettiest girl I know." He confesses truthfully.

Lacey started to blush. "You're the cutest boy I know." She admits honestly. She feels warm and tingly inside again. "Ready to do homework?"

"I guess." Danny answers begrudgingly.

Lacey just grabbed his hand and they got their backpacks and she led him to the kitchen. They sat down at the table and pulled their books out and started doing their homework. They sat quietly for a moment until Lacey spoke. "Want some more marshmallows?" She asks as she stares at the cutest boy she knows.

"Yeah." Danny answers and Lacey gets up to get them. She placed the bag in between them. They both reached into the bag at the same time. They got that jolt that they got the first time they touched and pinky swore.

"Ow, numbnuts! You shocked me!" She says and really acts like she's hurt.

"You shocked me too. Plus you hit me." He says matter of factly.

"That's cause you deserved it at the time. You can't hit me back so there." She says and takes the bag of marshmallows and puts them on her side. She hunched her shoulders and laughed at Danny. He was trying to think of a way to get her back when he thought of something. He reached over and kissed her on the lips again and grabbed the bag of marshmallows. He placed them on his side and smirked before he grabbed a handful and started to eat them. Lacey leaned over and kissed Danny again this time and took the marshmallow bag back. "I told you we couldn't kiss anymore." She says with conviction.

"But you just kissed me." Danny says to his defense.

"I know. You deserved it for kissing me and stealing the marshmallows." She says and grabs more to eat them. They ate so many that the bag is almost empty. "I'm telling my mom you ate the whole bag. You're gonna get it."

"I'll tell your mom that you kissed me. You're gonna get it." He counters and smiles.

"She won't believe you." Lacey says surely.

"Then I'm telling everyone at school that you kissed me and gave me cooties." Danny says as he starts fake coughing.

"I do not have cooties, numbnuts." Lacey says and smiles again. Her dimple appeared and this time Danny did reach out and touch it.

"Yes you do. That's why you have a dimple." Danny says and laughs.

"You like my dimple though, numbnuts." Lacey states as she puts more marshmallows into her mouth.

Danny surprised her with another kiss on the lips. "Last one. I promise." He lies.

Lacey hoped he didn't mean that.


End file.
